Parks Associates: 11% of Consumers With Chronic Conditions Do Not Have a Primary Care Doctor

Research Firm to Address Population Health Management Strategies at Connected Health Summit

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Aug 4, 2016) - New research by Parks Associates shows consumers with chronic conditions are not using basic health resources, as more than 55% of those with a primary care physician do not speak to their doctor more than once every three months. Of the more than 60% of consumers in U.S. broadband households with a chronic condition, 11% do not have a primary care doctor at all.

"Traditional chronic care management programs that use only health risks from claim and EMR data to stratify patients into different tiers fail to factor in behavioral and daily living factors in their patient engagement approach," said Harry Wang, Senior Research Director, Parks Associates. "As a result, past chronic care management efforts couldn't scale and be effective in improving care outcomes and patient care experiences. A better approach, one we will explore at Connected Health Summit, would be to segment these patients based on a variety of social and attitudinal factors and target them on a more individualized basis."

Parks Associates will address these issues at the third-annual Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, August 30 - September 1 in San Diego. The event provides executives with in-depth analysis and discussion on the implications of the connected healthcare revolution and the resulting consumerization of healthcare. Confirmed keynotes for the event include HumanaVitality, Medtronic, Samsung, and Walmart.

Wang will moderate the session "Effective Population Health Management Strategies: Success and Lessons Learned" at 10:45 a.m. on August 31. The session will provide a reality check on population health management as a solution that delivers comprehensive preventive and proactive care services. Speakers from the provider and insurer communities will share their experiences in deploying broad care programs, what has worked, and improvements they plan to make to enhance the effectiveness of population health management.

"We look forward to discussing new standard of care models for treating individuals who need it most, especially older patients and those with chronic diseases," said John Kao, CEO and President, Alignment Healthcare. "Utilizing population-based management to increase care access and coordination in the United States reduces costs and improves outcomes one person at a time."

"As the healthcare landscape continues to change and evolve, the need for more complete solutions to help people achieve their best health will be critical. The traditional focus on health will need to be replaced by attention to the whole person and their total well-being," said Kristine Mullen, Vice President, Wellness Strategies & Solutions, Humana. "Meeting consumers where they are with health and wellness solutions that are easy, accessible, and timely will be key to creating not only healthier individuals but individuals who are also happier and more productive too."

"As care models shift from volume-based to value-based and chronic care management becomes reimbursable with the new CPT code 99490, interest among hospitals and physicians in both chronic care programs and broader population health management programs has grown," Wang said. "Along with traditional care management service providers, this market is ripe for innovative and more effective patient engagement approaches."

Parks Associates research shows that only 20% of consumers who have at least one chronic condition are concerned about their health. Even among people with three or more chronic conditions, only 56% are concerned.